Media storage systems, or autochangers, are commonly used to store data cartridges at known locations and to retrieve the desired data cartridges so that data may be written to and/or read from the data cartridges. Accordingly, large volumes of computer-readable data can be stored on numerous data cartridges and accessed by a single computer or by multiple computers connected to the media storage system over a network.
Such media storage systems may include one or more storage magazines and cartridge read/write devices. The storage magazines serve as a storage location for data cartridges, and the read/write device(s) provide access to data stored on the data cartridges. The media storage system may also include a cartridge-engaging assembly, or “picker”, as well as a drive system for moving the cartridge-engaging assembly among and accessing data cartridges stored in the media storage system. For example, if a certain data cartridge is to be read, a control system operatively associated with the drive system causes the drive system to move the cartridge-engaging assembly to the location of the desired data cartridge. Then, the cartridge-engaging assembly retrieves the data cartridge and delivers it to the cartridge read/write device. The drive system and cartridge-engaging assembly may also be used to return the data cartridge to the storage magazine following the read/write operation.
The storage magazines and read/write device(s) are commonly positioned within the media storage system in a generally U-shaped arrangement. That is, the storage magazines are positioned opposite to and facing one another (i.e., each defining one “leg” of the U-shaped arrangement), and the read/write device(s) are positioned at one end of the media storage system in orthogonal relation to each of the storage magazines. However, the cartridge-engaging assembly commonly used with such media storage magazines is restricted to linear movement in a single plane of the media storage system. The restricted movement of the cartridge-engaging assembly requires that it be moved along a generally U-shaped path in the media storage system to access each of the storage magazines and the read/write device(s).
Accordingly, media storage systems for use with such cartridge-engaging assemblies must be sized to accommodate the U-shaped path of the cartridge-engaging assembly. However, moving the cartridge-engaging assembly about the U-shaped path is time-consuming. For example, the cartridge-engaging assembly may be parked on one leg of the U-shaped path in the media storage system when it receives a signal to retrieve a data cartridge that is stored along the other leg of the U-shaped path. The cartridge-engaging assembly must then be moved along the U-shaped path past the read/write device to retrieve the desired data cartridge, and then moved back along the U-shaped path to deliver the data cartridge to the read/write device. In addition, the restricted movement of the cartridge-engaging assembly affects the storage density of the media storage system (i.e., limits the number of data cartridges that can be stored in a defined space).